Blessing Falls Family Farm

At this halfway point of our 16 week Spring/Summer season, many summer varieties are just about ready.  Some of week’s shares will see the season’s first eggplant, peppers, cucumbers, and okra.  Tomatoes are more abundant this week with enough for all shares. Carrots, onions, and beans remain strong.

Here’s what to expect in shares this week: (may vary slightly depending on field/garden conditions)

Half Share: Eggplant or peppers, Tomatoes, Onions, Beans, Basil, Cucumbers or Squash, Carrots, Chard

Full Share: Eggplant, Peppers, Tomatoes, Onions, Beans, Basil, Cucumbers or Squash, Carrots, Chard, Cabbage, Dill, Okra or beet greens

Recipe

Here’s a tasty recipe we invented this week that’s perfect for this transition from spring to summer veggies!

Summer Turkey Pasta
Ingredients
16 oz. Penne Pasta
4 slices bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
1 summer squash, sliced (optional)
1 lb. ground turkey
1 TBSP. Minced garlic
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 bunch Swiss chard, chopped
1 cup cream (more if necessary)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/8 cup fresh basil, chopped
Salt and Pepper

Directions
1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. In a large skillet, cook bacon and onions together on medium heat about 5 minutes. Add sliced squash and cook until soft. Remove from heat and set aside in another bowl.
3. Brown turkey in skillet. Add cream, garlic, tomatoes and chard and simmer until cream is bubbly. Add Parmesan and basil and mix thoroughly.
4. Pour onion and turkey mixtures over cooked pasta. Stir well, salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh basil, shredded Parmesan or red pepper flakes. Enjoy!

Field Notes: This week we are trellising tomatoes and prepping new beds for squash, cucumbers, melons and other summer crops. The tomato plants are loaded with flowers and new growth! Full shares will receive bulb fennel this week – this is a unique vegetable used for seasoning dishes, with a sweet licorice flavor! The entire plant can be used.

We’ve scheduled our Spring Farm Tour this week.   Contact us for the schedule and more details if you’d like to come.

Here’s what’s expected in our Spring week 4 shares:
(Shares may vary slightly depending on field/garden conditions)

Half Share: Onion, Lettuce mix (double portion), Radishes, Carrots, Head lettuce, Dill, Chard, Kale

Full Share: Onion, Lettuce mix (double portion), Radishes, Carrots (double portion), Head lettuce (double portion), Dill, Chard, Beet greens (double portion), Kale, Broccoli or cauliflower, Fennel, Broccoli greens

Blessing Falls Spring 2017 Week 4 Full Share: Beet greens, dill, broccoli, head lettuce, kale, lettuce mix, fennel, broccoli greens, radishes, chard, carrots, onion

Recipe

Roasted Carrots with Dill

Ingredients
12 carrots
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill or parsley

Directions
-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
-If the carrots are thick, cut them in half lengthwise; if not, leave whole. Slice the carrots diagonally in 1 1/2-inch-thick slices. (The carrots will shrink while cooking so make the slices big.) Toss them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Transfer to a sheet pan in 1 layer and roast in the oven for 20 minutes, until browned and tender.
-Toss the carrots with minced dill or parsley, season to taste, and serve.

It’s a rainy Tuesday morning as we wait to harvest this afternoon for tomorrow’s shares. So far we’ve had an hour of heavy rain after a few hours of drizzle off and on.  The forecast looks dry for this afternoon so hopefully we’ve had just enough rain to freshen the harvest nicely, but not enough to keep us out of the garden. This is our third week of the Spring/Summer season and with 13 weeks left, we have shares available if others would like to join us.  Here’s how to sign up.  And remembers to check out our Facebook page or Instagram for regular updates on the farm.

Notes from the field:  This week we are getting our first taste of baby carrots! We are so excited about this year’s crop! We planted more than ever before and had about 100% germination which means we will be harvesting thousands of carrots over the next 6 weeks or longer! We will have primarily orange carrots, but we are also growing purple and yellow varieties. We can’t wait to share the harvest with you!

Here’s what’s expected in our Spring week 3 shares:
(Shares may vary slightly depending on field/garden conditions)

Half Share: Lettuce mix (double portion), Head lettuce, Onions, Beet greens, Radishes, Swiss Chard, Kale, Dill

Full Share: Lettuce mix (double portion), Head lettuce (double portion), Onions, Beet greens, Radishes (double portion), Swiss Chard (double portion), Kale, Dill, Broccoli greens, Broccoli/broccoli flowers, Carrots

Blessing Falls Spring Week 3 Full size Share: Head lettuce, dill, broccoli flowers, chard, radishes, kale, carrots, broccoli greens, beet greens, lettuce mix, onion

Recipe

The full shares may receive broccoli flowers this week. These are beautiful as well as delicious, with a mild broccoli flavor. They are a perfect topping on salad, pizza or pasta!

We love this easy pasta recipe – it’s delicious with kale, chard, beet greens or a combination of all three!

Sausage Penne Pasta with Greens
Ingredients
1 small onion, diced
2 TBSP olive oil
2 links of sausage, sliced
1 TBSP minced garlic
3 cups of greens, chopped
16 oz. Penne Pasta, cooked
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions
In a large skillet, cook onion in olive oil until soft. Add sausage and continue to cook on medium heat about 3 minutes. Add garlic and greens, cover and simmer about 5 minutes, adding more oil if necessary. Add cooked pasta and continue to simmer until greens are wilted and pasta is heated through. Salt and pepper to taste. Top with Parmesan cheese, serve and enjoy!